Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
renvoi d'ascenseur
English translation:
favoritism/preferential treatment/"cozy" arrangement
Added to glossary by
Stephanie Mitchel
Oct 4, 2003 22:07
20 yrs ago
2 viewers *
French term
United States
renvoi d'ascenseur
French to English
Bus/Financial
Investment / Securities
investment banking
From an article in Libération, 12/15/92:
"Pour rendre service au Crédit Lyonnais, son banquier favori, le groupe Pinault, se lance dans la gestion de junk bonds, ces 'obligations pourries' émises aux Etats-Unis dans les années 80 et dont les taux de rendement très élevés étaient censés compenser la fragilité financière des sociétés qui les émettaient. L'affaire, a priori surprenante, relève en fait d'un système complexe de renvoi d'ascenseur entre le Crédit Lyonnais et Pinault."
"Pour rendre service au Crédit Lyonnais, son banquier favori, le groupe Pinault, se lance dans la gestion de junk bonds, ces 'obligations pourries' émises aux Etats-Unis dans les années 80 et dont les taux de rendement très élevés étaient censés compenser la fragilité financière des sociétés qui les émettaient. L'affaire, a priori surprenante, relève en fait d'un système complexe de renvoi d'ascenseur entre le Crédit Lyonnais et Pinault."
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 | favoritism/preferential treatment |
Jacques Saleh
|
| 5 +3 | return the favor |
lenkl
|
| 5 +2 | you scratch my back, I scratch yours |
sarahl (X)
|
| 5 | "quid pro quo" |
Enel Diamond (X)
|
| 4 | mutual assistance |
William Stein
|
Proposed translations
23 mins
Jacques Saleh
United States
United States
Native in English
Specializes in field
United States
Law/Investments/Finance (PhD & MBA)
Native in: English 
, Arabic
Works in: Arabic to English, English to Arabic, French to English, and 2 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
4
Selected
favoritism/preferential treatment
or, in American business colloquialism: cozying up to each other; being cozy to each other, etc.
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Note added at 2003-10-04 22:35:05 (GMT)
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One could also say succinctly: COZY ARRANGEMENTS
Examples from the financial press:
scheming and intrigue; devious; \"Byzantine methods for holding on to his chairmanship\";
\"a fine hand for Byzantine deals and cozy arrangements\" [syn: Byzantine ...
dictionary.reference.com/search?q=byzantine - 24k - Cached - Similar pages
Mercury News | 06/27/2003 | Investors offered huge settlement ...
... Those cozy arrangements included deals for early investors to kick back profits
to the investment banks, and promises that research analysts would write ...
www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/ business/columnists/gmsv/6184418.htm - 41k - Cached - Similar pages
... As the Times points out, these cozy arrangements have a natural progression:
Why not cut out the reporters and editors altogether? ...
www.e-insite.net/ednmag/archives/1998/071698/15ed2.htm - 8k - Cached - Similar pages
Jack Kelly
... like Arthur Leavitt, head of the Securities and Exchange Commission during the Clinton
administration, who warned of the dangers of these cozy arrangements. ...
www.jewishworldreview.com/0702/jkelly072602
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-10-04 22:35:05 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
One could also say succinctly: COZY ARRANGEMENTS
Examples from the financial press:
scheming and intrigue; devious; \"Byzantine methods for holding on to his chairmanship\";
\"a fine hand for Byzantine deals and cozy arrangements\" [syn: Byzantine ...
dictionary.reference.com/search?q=byzantine - 24k - Cached - Similar pages
Mercury News | 06/27/2003 | Investors offered huge settlement ...
... Those cozy arrangements included deals for early investors to kick back profits
to the investment banks, and promises that research analysts would write ...
www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/ business/columnists/gmsv/6184418.htm - 41k - Cached - Similar pages
... As the Times points out, these cozy arrangements have a natural progression:
Why not cut out the reporters and editors altogether? ...
www.e-insite.net/ednmag/archives/1998/071698/15ed2.htm - 8k - Cached - Similar pages
Jack Kelly
... like Arthur Leavitt, head of the Securities and Exchange Commission during the Clinton
administration, who warned of the dangers of these cozy arrangements. ...
www.jewishworldreview.com/0702/jkelly072602
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "This is exactly the sense of the term in this article. Thanks."
+3
8 mins
lenkl
Specializes in field
return the favor
the expression - which comes from the practice of sending an elevator back up or down to someone who couldn't get on with you - means returning a favor; an "exchange of favors" may be more accurate in your particular context.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
sarahl (X)
: it used to mean sending the elevator back down -the first ascenseurs were not descenseurs.
1 hr
|
| agree |
KirstyMacC (X)
: Headline answer matches that in Dictionary of Modern Colloquial French, Routledge, otherwise a mine of hilarious info on abuse and swear-words.
1 hr
|
| agree |
Jean-Claude Gouin
13 hrs
|
| agree |
Bourth (X)
: That's what it means alright, but difficult to make it sound idiomatic here, I feel
22 hrs
|
+2
52 mins
you scratch my back, I scratch yours
this phrase is commonly used by politicians
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
ntouzet (X)
7 hrs
|
|
Merci !
|
|
| agree |
Bourth (X)
: yes, complex system of back-scratching would be good
22 hrs
|
|
Thanks!
|
1 hr
William Stein
Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Native in English
Works in field
Costa Rica
Translations that read like originals
Native in: English (Variants: US, UK) 
Works in: French to English, German to English, Spanish to English, and 3 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
44
mutual assistance
All the other answers are fine, but in your sentence I think it works better to say "a complex system of mutual assistance between..."
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Note added at 2 hrs 15 mins (2003-10-05 00:22:46 GMT)
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You could also say: looking out for one another\'s interests.
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Note added at 2 hrs 15 mins (2003-10-05 00:22:46 GMT)
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You could also say: looking out for one another\'s interests.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
sarahl (X)
: too Christian for the context!
7 mins
|
|
But there's nothing sinister about the expression. It's usually positive.
|
1 day 3 hrs
"quid pro quo"
Try this -- which means something for something.
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